I read an article in the New Zealand Herald this week titled “How to prepare financially for aged care”.

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I do wish it was titled “How to prepare financially for aged residential care” — because that’s what the article is really about.

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There’s more to aged care than just residential care. Across the sector, we all share the same goal: supporting older New Zealanders to live full and happy lives. But aged care should start where most people want to be — at home.

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Our publicly funded homecare system needs modernising to be truly person-centred and person-led. My hope is that this will be addressed by the newly announced Ministerial Advisory Group. With a looming shortage of 12,000 residential care beds, we need to recognise that many of those “beds” already exist — in people’s homes — if we provide the right support.

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It’s time to broaden the conversation. Residential care and homecare are not competing models; they’re complementary parts of a continuum. By strengthening homecare, we can ease pressure on residential services and hospitals — and, most importantly, honour people’s choice to age where they feel most themselves.

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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/how-to-prepare-financially-for-aged-care-diana-clement/ZIT22MFTYFF3NPV27GNIUDQY6M/

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